Winter Markets & Terry Thiese

The Food & Dining section in today’s Press Herald includes an article on Portland area winter farmers markets,

“As long as the (Monday) meeting goes well, we’ll be in the Irish Heritage Center starting Jan. 8,” said Lauren Pignatello of Swallowtail Farm, who is one of the coordinators of the Portland Winter Market and a vendor at the Brunswick Winter Market. “We’ll have lots of winter greens, root vegetables, cheese, yogurt, kefir, hard salami, pork, beef, chicken, lamb, rabbit, tempeh, bread, eggs, apples and flower bulbs.”

and an Appel on Wine column about wine guru Terry Thiese. Thiese will be in Portland Tuesday for a book signing with Rabelais and a sold out dinner at Bar Lola.

This is simultaneously the hardest and easiest column for me to write. Easy because it concerns Terry Theise, my personal wine hero (and writing hero, and life hero), and I have waited a long time for the opportunity to write publicly about him. Hard because the stakes are so high: if I fail to convince you to form a long-term relationship with Theise’s work, then I wonder why I speak about wine at all.

Winter Markets & Terry Thiese

The Food & Dining section in today’s Press Herald includes an article on Portland area winter farmers markets,

“As long as the (Monday) meeting goes well, we’ll be in the Irish Heritage Center starting Jan. 8,” said Lauren Pignatello of Swallowtail Farm, who is one of the coordinators of the Portland Winter Market and a vendor at the Brunswick Winter Market. “We’ll have lots of winter greens, root vegetables, cheese, yogurt, kefir, hard salami, pork, beef, chicken, lamb, rabbit, tempeh, bread, eggs, apples and flower bulbs.”

and an Appel on Wine column about wine guru Terry Thiese. Thiese will be in Portland Tuesday for a book signing with Rabelais and a sold out dinner at Bar Lola.

This is simultaneously the hardest and easiest column for me to write. Easy because it concerns Terry Theise, my personal wine hero (and writing hero, and life hero), and I have waited a long time for the opportunity to write publicly about him. Hard because the stakes are so high: if I fail to convince you to form a long-term relationship with Theise’s work, then I wonder why I speak about wine at all.

Maine Mead Works

Mainebiz has published an article about Maine Mead Works and its innovative fermentation process.

Improvements to the ancient art of alcohol fermentation rarely happen. What has worked incredibly well for centuries doesn’t scream for much tinkering.

But Maine Mead Works in Portland is hoping to soon patent an original fermentation system that its creators say makes mead production cheaper and easier, which could help popularize the uncommon drink.

Winter Farmers Market

The Portland Daily Sun published a report today about the Winter Farmers Market.

Now, the dozen-plus vendors slated for the winter market are poised to move into the the former St. Dominic’s church, located at 34 Gray St. The building boasts a lower level that can accommodate up to 300 people, and the sanctuary is its own draw, with 60-foot cathedral ceilings and stained glass windows.

If permitting goes as planned, the Portland Winter Market will relaunch Jan. 8 and will continue every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. through April 23, when the outdoor Portland Farmer’s Market returns.

Vegan Thanksgiving, Box Wine and Brett DeBlieck

The Food & Dining section of today’s Press Herald includes advice on cooking a vegan Thanksgiving dinner.

In recent years, supermarkets have been flooded with processed vegan foods. And while faux meat products such as Tofurky and Celebration Roast can work in a pinch, you’ll satisfy more people at your table when you go the scratch-cooking route.

Also in today’s paper is a declaration by the Appel on Wine column that you can get good wine from a box and a Q+A with sous chef Brett DeBlieck.

Advice from Joe

Joe Ricchio has written a piece for Find.Eat.Drink. packed with advice on “How To Enhance Your Dining Experience“.

Go Late – If you want to dine at a more leisurely pace and time is not of the essence, make reservations for the later seating.
Most restaurants book at least two turns every night, so if you’re going to dine early than you’ll need to be considerate of customers who have reservations on the second turn. The second turn is much more relaxed, though please note that if you’re the last ones left in the dining room and half of the staff has gone home, it’s time to leave.

A New Equilibrium

Mainebiz has taken a look at what impact the launch of Trader Joe’s will have on the other markets in the area.

“They’re not going to shake up the market too much. They don’t impact competition as much as you would think,” says David Livingston, a supermarket consultant in Wisconsin. “They’re a niche player.” The store offers a “treasure hunt,” he says, and people come in to track down novelty items more than to do their weekly shopping.

Brewer's Fest, Gateless Trader Joe's, Maine Farmers

The Maine Sunday Telegram includes a report on the 17th Annual Maine Brewers Festival,

The festival draws beer drinkers and beer makers from around the state. Ticket-buyers get a glass and tickets for up to 12 four-ounce tastes from brewers such as Shipyard, Allagash, Sheepscot and Geary’s.

and on the lack of a gate between the Bayside Trail which runs adjacent to Trader Joe’s.

Peter Quesada, whose Fore River Co. owns the land on Marginal Way, said his company “made a business judgment” to put up the fence between the trail and the store. He declined to say what that business judgment was based on.

Yesterday’s paper reported on the potential impact that a growth in farming can have on the state’s economy.

Seven panelists at an annual economic development forum told about 45 people in Maine business and government that agricultural development is key to a bright economic future. They also emphasized that more people are starting farms in Maine.

From 2002 to 2007, the number of farms jumped by nearly 1,000, to 8,136, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service.

Brewer’s Fest, Gateless Trader Joe’s, Maine Farmers

The Maine Sunday Telegram includes a report on the 17th Annual Maine Brewers Festival,

The festival draws beer drinkers and beer makers from around the state. Ticket-buyers get a glass and tickets for up to 12 four-ounce tastes from brewers such as Shipyard, Allagash, Sheepscot and Geary’s.

and on the lack of a gate between the Bayside Trail which runs adjacent to Trader Joe’s.

Peter Quesada, whose Fore River Co. owns the land on Marginal Way, said his company “made a business judgment” to put up the fence between the trail and the store. He declined to say what that business judgment was based on.

Yesterday’s paper reported on the potential impact that a growth in farming can have on the state’s economy.

Seven panelists at an annual economic development forum told about 45 people in Maine business and government that agricultural development is key to a bright economic future. They also emphasized that more people are starting farms in Maine.

From 2002 to 2007, the number of farms jumped by nearly 1,000, to 8,136, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service.